"If He Finds Me, He'll Kill Me".

The man she once loved turned into a deadly enemy. Now he's disappeared, and she's transformed her entire identity just to keep herself alive.

* When I first met Daniel Perez, I was only 13 years old. Daniel was already out of high school, and with a car and a good job, he seemed more exciting and mature than any other guy I knew. Foolishly, I married him when I was 15, and it took me a while to realize that I had made a serious mistake. Daniel turned out to be a vengeful and violent man, and after several years together, I had to face the fact that the person who had vowed to protect me posed the biggest threat to my life. I am currently in hiding from him, and I live in constant fear. Worse still, he has dealt my family a devastating blow from which we'll never recover. As long as he remains free, I will never be safe.

Seduced by His Charm

I was living with my parents in our home in Lynwood, California, when I met Daniel through mutual friends. He was 20 years old and treated me like a princess, bringing me flowers when he picked me up from school, taking me to the amusement park. Within weeks, I was hooked. My parents were very strict with me, so for a while, I hid my relationship with Daniel from them. But after two months, I grew tired of lying and told them everything. And in the same charismatic way he had won my heart, Daniel softened my parents' hard line as well, convincing them that he really cared for me and would never do anything to hurt me. Then I got pregnant and didn't know what to do. Daniel wanted to get married, while my parents tried to convince me otherwise. They said I could stay home while they helped take care of the baby. But Daniel won, and we were married in a civil ceremony at the courthouse.

We moved into Daniel's mother's house, and I soon gave birth to my son. Marriage was hard enough, but I also noticed that Daniel was beginning to control every aspect of my life. He determined if and when I saw my friends, what we had for dinner-- everything. I'd challenge him and we would bicker. But all this was minor compared to what was to come.

Two years into our marriage, Daniel turned violent. We had just bought our first house, and despite my objections, Daniel moved his dad and stepmom in with us. Life at home was stressful, and one day after an argument, I tried to leave to visit my mom. Daniel wouldn't allow it. He blocked the door, pushed me into the bedroom, and began hitting and slapping me, leaving me with bruises and a black eye. As soon as he calmed down, I got out of the house and had him arrested for spousal abuse.

When he was released two days later, he called me repeatedly at my parents' house, begging for my forgiveness. He would change, he promised. To show me he was sincere, he asked his father to move out and enrolled in anger-management classes. After six weeks, I gave in and moved home. Like many women with abusive husbands, I believed that things could change for the better. I loved Daniel and wanted our marriage to work.